eyebrow piercing @ forbidden fruit

been mulling over the idea of getting a facial piercing of some sort
for literally years. Both my earlobes were pierced twice, both times
with a piercing gun. The first set when I was 11, at a pediatrican's
office. My mother had not told me she was going to let me have `em done
beforehand, so I was completely freaked and couldn't sit still and they
came out uneven. The second time, I was 20 years old and on my honeymoon
in Ocean City, Maryland, walking around on the boardwalk while my
husband slipped into a video arcade to get out of the hot sun. Every
third shop seemed to offer ear piercing, and I wanted something to
commemorate my honeymoon that would be part of my everyday life, so....

But I put a lot of thought into getting my eyebrow pierced. My 25th
birthday was coming up. Wow, 25! It seemed unreal, I wanted to mark it
in a more significant way than dinner out & some forgettable gifts. I am
not sure when my thoughts shifted to "gee, pierced eyebrows look cool"
to "For my 25th birthday I am going to get my eyebrow pierced", but I
started hitting the web to do some serious research. Spent hours on BME,
Urban Primitives, and Gauntlet's websites. I asked around on
rec.arts.bodyart. I also liked the idea of a nostril piercing, but I was
concerned that it would get gunked up, as I have seasonal allergies (who
doesn't in Texas!). A few folks on r.a.b assured me that allergies &
colds had not interfered with their nostril piercings, so I figured,
what the hell! I had official decided. I would get my left nostril and
right eyebrow pierced. I asked around some more, this time for a
recommendation on where to get it done. I got several suggestions, but
the most recommendations were for Forbidden Fruit, so I called up for
pricing info, and found out that I wouldn't need an appointment. I
decided to do it the Saturday before my birthday.

The day rolled around & I was nervous as hell! My husband drove me down
to Forbidden Fruit. The guy at the front counter helped me pick out
appropriate jewelry... 18ga 5/16 stainless steel captive bead rings, for
both. With malachite beads... my favorite! I was given a form to fill
out, asking when I'd last eaten, did I have a history of fainting, etc.
"How many times do I have to have fainted for it to be a 'history of
fainting'?" I asked. "Once!" he told me, so yes, I have a history of
fainting! (it was at the doctor's office when I was around 9, and had
just gotten an injection) It was early October, and they were doing
their annual "Fang Clinic", so while I awaited my turn (pacing... I was
too antsy to sit!) I watched a woman checking out her new dental-quality
vampire fangs. They looked so cool! I decided to get a pair next year.
I think I was only waiting about half an hour, but it seemed like both
an instant and an eternity until my name was called. Geneva, the woman
who would be doing my piercings, seemed friendly and very competent. She
swabbed off my eyebrow & nose with some sort of antiseptic and marked
the spots for the piercings. I was a little surprised that she used
toothpicks dipped in genitian violet ink instead of the marker I'd been
half-expecting, but when I considered it, it made a lot of sense to me.
While she got her equipment ready, she gave me a sheet of aftercare
instructions to read. They were pretty familiar after all my research,
but that was kind of reassuring.

Then she asked if I was ready! Well, I was as ready as I was gonna get.
She did my nostril first. She put a recieving tube in my nose and
positioned the needle. "Ok, take a deep breath... now let it out..."
OUCH! It only took an instant. It hurt, worse than getting my ears
pierced, not as bad as getting an IV put in. All of a sudden I felt
really dizzy. Geneva had me lay down for a bit, and got me a cup of
water. Soon I felt OK enough for her to put the jewelry in. The A/C
blowing on my face felt SO nice.... as I started to feel 'normal' again,
she went over the aftercare instructions with me, step-by-step, making
sure I understood them. Then she asked if I still wanted to go ahead
with the eyebrow piercing. You bet I did! She did this one with me lying
down.

The clamps (forceps?hemostat?) she used on my eyebrow were
uncomfortable, but not actually painful. "Ok, take a deep breath... now
let it out..." This one hurt less, but seemed to take longer. I did not
feel as sick or dizzy as I had after she did my nose, though... I
expected it, but it just didn't come! So, she put the jewelry in and
handed me a mirror. Wow! That chick with the nosering & pierced eyebrow
was ME!

That was just under two weeks ago. So far, they're healing great! They
were kind of sore for the first couple of days, but now they are not.
They've started to look more like piercings, and less like "a bit of
metal stuck through my skin". I had to switch brands of antibacterial
soap when the brand I was using turned out to be a bit too strong &
dried out my skin, but that's the only problem they've given me. My
earrings gave me more trouble. I've gotten less grief over them at work
than I was half-expecting. My boss commented that it looked barbaric,
and a couple of customers asked me if it hurt, but that was it.

Well, that is my story so far (until I decide to get something else
pierced!). All my thanks to the friendly folks on rec.arts.bodyart for
answering all of my questions, to BME for being such a terrific
resource, and especially to Geneva at Forbidden Fruit for doing such a
great job!

Atalanta Pendragonne

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submitted by: Anonymouson: 03 Nov. 1997in
Eyebrow Piercing

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